Benin’s parliament on Saturday approved a constitutional reform extending presidential terms and creating a new legislative body. The amendment, passed by a 90-19 vote, would lengthen presidential and lawmakers’ terms from five to seven years, keeping the two-term limit.
It also introduces a Senate expected to include 25 to 30 members, featuring former heads of state and presidential appointees. The Senate would have authority to request a second reading of laws passed by the lower house, excluding finance legislation.
Reforms still require approval from the Constitutional Court and would take effect after the presidential election scheduled for April. President Patrice Talon is set to leave office after a decade in power, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni seen as frontrunner.
The main opposition candidate was barred from running for failing to secure the required endorsements, raising tensions ahead of the polls. Opposition party The Democrats alleged irregularities in the Saturday vote and condemned the creation of a Senate as a power grab.
Opposition lawmaker Kolawolé Djima Ogbon warned such a body could allow Talon, as a former president, to retain influence over national affairs. Critics fear the reforms could tilt Benin’s democratic balance, leaving a lasting imprint on the country’s political landscape after the election.